Young accepts leadership role

Towers yesterday rated Young the No. 1 leader among Padres players, high praise for a pitcher, let alone one under age 30.

Pragmatism is at work, said Young, adding that he believes Latos can go from Single-A to the majors this year.

“We need every single guy,” said Young, whose days as a basketball star for Princeton furthered his team ethic. “I am more than happy to help anybody here any way that I can, because we need everybody we can to be successful.”

Young, 29, noted that pitching sages such as Greg Maddux, Trevor Hoffman and Doug Brocail aren't with the Padres anymore.

Still got it

Young described Todd Helton as a future Hall of Famer yesterday. Voters might disagree several years from now, but there was no doubting that Helton had just made a powerful comeback from back surgery. In his first at-bat since Sept. 14, Helton hit a Young fastball for a 450-foot home run, clearing the 30-foot, center-field wall at Hi Corbett Field.

“He's a great hitter, regardless of when you face him,” Young said.

The Rockies, en route to a 4-2 victory, scored four runs (three earned) off Young in two innings. “I wasn't thrilled with the results, but it's spring training,” he said.

The Padres went scoreless in four innings against Greg Reynolds, who is vying for the Rockies No. 5 starting job.

March glimmers

Pitching prospect Nick Schmidt, 23, is progressing nicely from reconstructive elbow surgery. Schmidt, who threw two scoreless innings yesterday, is hitting 88-91 mph with his fastball and impressing manager Bud Black with the “downhill” plane of his pitches.

“I still feel there's more in there,” said the left-hander, who is ticketed for advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore. “I'm just trying to stay healthy and get my arm back to full strength and pitch every game.”